The great debate: Shell jacket vs. insulated – a matter of gender divide?

[caption id="attachment_144" align="alignright" width="250" caption="Insulated Ski Jacket"][/caption] The battle of the sexes is one that dates as far back as Adam and Eve; and even if you are more inclined to follow Darwinism I guess you could say it started back to the first girl amoeba and the first boy one. But that is either here nor there for when it comes to the type of outerwear we choose to don when hitting the slopes it seems the genders have reached the great divide. Men seem to prefer a shell jacket when the females of our species are more inclined to have one that is insulated. So what gives? Do the men feel that they are somehow tougher or more manly because they don’t need another layer of insulation against those biting winds and freezing temperatures? The fact is that no matter if you are a man or woman, boy or girl, when you are out in the piste you want to stay warm and dry to ensure the greatest amount of time doing what you love. That means that you’re going to be wearing layers of ski clothing regardless, but when it comes to specifically the style of your coat what is the sense in opting for a jacket devoid of insulation? True, shell ski jackets are going to be lighter and breath better, but they will often mean that the wearer is going to be doubling up on other layers, like thermals, to stay warm. So then by introducing an insulated jacket wouldn’t one be killing two birds with one stone so to speak? An insulated jacket would merely replace say an additional layer of thermals and at the same time provide you the weather proof material that is crucial to any outermost layer. Although they will weigh more, when taken in respect to one less other inner layer for warmth you would then think that it would be a wash. Both styles of jackets can come with or without a hood, so if you aren’t too hip on having one you don’t need to. And both are going to come in a host of varying fashion options no matter your personal preference.  And so it appears that the only benefit of a shell jacket over one that is insulated is that perhaps it may offer a bit more flexibility while you manoeuvre for the sole reason that it is thinner. That could be a benefit if you are doing some mad tricks and aerials, yet for general skiing and snowboarding purposes one would think that the small margin of added mobility wouldn’t be a do or die factor. Yet, if only for the simple reason that a guy is going to do what a guy wants to do no matter if it is logical or not, and the same can be said for a gal, everyone is entitled to picking their own jacket.